Semi-palmated Sandpiper at Porth Hellick

Heavily cropped record shot of the Semi-palmated Sandpiper at Porth Hellick

  Yesterday early evening, Mark Anderson and I were out in the field asking ourselves why are there no yank waders on Scilly at the moment after the ideal conditions a few days ago? We entered the Sussex hide at Porth Hellick and Mark immediately scanned and told me he had a Little Stint type thing on the spit on the otherside of the pool opposite the hide. I picked up my bins and said carmly, Semi-p Sand! Ideal! Nice one Mark! The light was fading fast and no one would answer their mobiles. It was almost dark when Robin came into the hide and I said to him, you got my message then about the Semi-p? He didn't but was delighted when he saw the sandpiper still distant on the far side. No sign of the Spotted Crake that has been here for the last few days that we all came for in the first place.
  Later birders told me that the sandpiper had been there all day but was thought to be a Little Stint! Although a few did believe it was a Semi-palmated Sandpiper. It don't matter because everyone connecting with it today although still distant on the far side.

The Semi-palmated Sandpiper was always distant. This is only my third Semi-p I ever seen. All on Scilly and the last one was the individual that Robin found in 2004 also at Porth Hellick! Ren has found 3 of these waders on Tresco and one of them in 1994 was my first one on the Great Pool.

  Early this morning, Higgo, 925 and myself were in the Sussex hide at Porth Hellick observing the Semi-palmated Sandpiper still miles away on the otherside. Higgo asked me why is it a Semi-p then? My reply was 'Well man, yeah, mmmmm, ah, well, you know, it's not a Little Stint!' He came back with 'So Dr Webb, why is this a Semi-p?' In a husky Wolverhampton accent he went on 'Well man, yeah, it's like, mmm, yeah well, you know, Kangaroo!' I was bent over in stitches holding my ribs with tears down my face and 925 was cracked up as well! It was damn funny and I couldn't stop. You had to be there. Then he continued with 'Well Dr Webb, how do you tell a summer plumage Sanderling from a Little Stint?' I replied 'If they pay attention to what there looking at then that's so easy that anyone can separate those two. I don't have to explain how to tell these two apart?' I was still layed out on the hide bench trying to control myself.

  At 17.30 I returned home from work today to find a Firecrest in the pines in the garden. Later on this evening I was in the field again but this time with Ren and as we crossed the airfield Ren shouted 'Large pipit!' At the same time I shouted 'Richard's Pipit!' because I heard it and Ren didn't but I couldn't get on to it. Ren watched it come down on the east runway and there we picked it up again, briefly on the deck before flying off towards Giant Castle with 2 Meadow Pipit.
  As Ren had not seen the Semi-palmated Sandpiper yet, we got to Porth Helick just before dark and found it still on the far side. At least 5 Water Rail came out and Ren relocated the Spotted Crake. It was almost dark now and we made our ways home.

And here's a record shot of the Spotted Crake at Porth Hellick when it was dark!

Also a record shot of the Icterine Warbler that Ritchie Aston found a few days ago on the Dead Pine Walk, Garrison

And here's a record shot of a record!

Altogether Mick Scott has only trapped 6 Ni Moth in his Longstone garden. Including this one that he trapped two nights ago, I've seen two of them.

Roosbeef is a Dutch band from Duiven around singer-songwriter Roos Rebergen. They are acclaimed for their original lyrics and musical style.^[1] Rebergen describes their style as melodic pop music with a raw edge.^[2]

The band won the Grote Prijs van Nederland in the category singer/songwriter in 2005. A self-titled EP was released in 2007.

They released their first full-length album, titled Ze Willen Wel Je Hond Aaien Maar Niet Met Je Praten (translates as: "They Do Want To Pet Your Dog, But They Don't Want To Talk To You) on December 15, 2008. It entered the Dutch Album Top 100 on December 20, 2008, and reached its highest position of 16th seven weeks later. The album has been described as refreshing and original.

Their second album Omdat ik dat wil was released on September 9, 2011. It was a greater popular success than the preceding album, reaching the 6th position on the Dutch Album Top 100.